(Written by kencraw)

A day after first anticipated, but days earlier than more recently projected, the Bears practiced for the first time in the renovated Memorial Stadium today.

I’ve been holding off on my renovated Memorial Stadium opus until closer to the first game, so I’ll be brief today…

This is a great day for Cal football. We are officially home. The tree-sitter protest started on December 2nd, 2006, so it’s been nearly 6 years that the team has been in some state of dislocation/disruption. All of that ends today and I find myself surprisingly emotional about it.

I went back to verify that it was indeed 12/2/06, because I took pictures. In my date-ordered picture archive, just before the tree-sitter pictures but on the same day were pictures of my kids at the FunZone before the game. Here’s a picture of my eldest son on that day next to a picture of him taken recently:

(Gregory as a spunky 3 1/2 year old when the tree-sitter protest started in December, 2006 and as a nearly 9 year old 1st Communicant in April, 2012)

Yeah, it’s been that long…

Personally, I feel like the kid on the left today. We’re coming out of a very dark tunnel and it’s as exciting as can be!

(More to come on just how long it’s been.)